January: Books I read

 

Mudlark by Lara Maiklem  A wonderful book about the author's finds mudlarking on the Thames. I only wish that there had been photos of her finds. 

Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia by Steven Stoll (library) This might be my favorite of the Appalachian books I have read lately. It is basically the history of the area and how it became synonymous with poverty.

The Best of Me by David Sedaris (library) a compilation of David Sedaris stories, there were a few that I had not read before or maybe I had just forgotten. Jesus Shaves is still a favorite. I crack up every time!!  The bell flying in from Rome to Paris on Easter gets me every time. 

The Ode Less Travelled by Stephen Fry (library) okay, so I am gonna have to go out and buy this book. I am a fan of poetry although I do not read it a lot (I stick with the classics)  and this book basically teaches you how to read and write poetry. Loved it. 

The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion (library) Similar to the latest Jodi Picoult that I just read. This time, it is a man, who leaves his settled life to see what it would be like to be with the woman he was obsessed with when he was young. The gimmick here is a musical soundtrack/playlist. Some great tunes though.

Dead Stick by Megan Mallory Rust Fun murder mystery with a female pilot protagonist in Alaska

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano (library) They hooked me with the plane crash, but lost me along the way---I thought it was just okay. 

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories to Stay Awake Fun selection of creepy stories, so easy to read and I can pick it up and put it down (so easy to read while I am at work) 

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot by John Callahan Callahan became quadriplegic after a car accident when he was drinking. He transformed his life and became a successful cartoonist. This is his memoir. 

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson (library) I really really enjoyed this one. The protagonist is a book store proprietor and he had a blog listing eight perfect murders from books. (like Strangers on a Train, etc) the FBI comes calling when these murders start happening.  

When She was Good by Michael Robotham (library) Thriller about a girl stolen and human trafficked and the search for her abductors/attackers. 

Nothing Remains the Same by Wendy Lesser Love love loved it!! A listing of books that the author (critic and journalist) rereads. Books she had read as a younger woman and how her perspective and appreciation of the books differs with age and experience. 

The Hippopotamus by Stephen Fry (library) I wanted to like this better than I did. I am not a fan of the PG Wodehouse stuff and this is in that vein, so maybe that was it. 

The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child (library) The latest Jack Reacher, it was okay

The Cruise of the Rolling Junk by F. Scott Fitzgerald (library) Scott and Zelda take a road trip from Connecticut to Alabama back when traveling by automobile was still new and daring! Originally a collection of articles for a magazine, they have all been collected together in one volume. 

The Golden Thread by Kassia St. Clair (library) The history of fabric and how it has changed over the years. Loved it

The Night Ferry By Michael Robotham  I've been enjoying this author's books and will keep reading him. This one involves coming to the aid of an old friend and drama across Europe. 

2021 Postcards from Friends

Thank You to everyone who sends me postcards, I love to get mail! 

2021 Postcards from Friends

Postcards from all my friends are the highlight of my postcard blog this year

2021 Postcards from Friends

2021 is a celebration of all the postcards sent to me by my friends! Thank You!

2021 Postcards from Friends

Happy New Year and Let's hope 2021 will be a better year than 2020. I am highlighting all the postcards that my friends have sent to me the past couple of years. Thank You to everyone who has sent me a card. 

December 2020 Books I read

The Same River Twice by Chris Offutt (library) another, "I got away from my hill-billy upbringing" story. Guy "squanders" his  youth (his words), but brings it together when he gets married and has a kid. 

Leave Yesterday Alone by Richard Matheson (library) an autobiographical story and the addition of a journal that Matheson kept make this very interesting. 

The Cracker Factory by Joyce Rebeta-Burditt a female type "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" Published in 1977, so that era of psychological treatment. 

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult (library) what if you had made a different choice and it changed  your life? That is basically the story. This character experiences a plane crash and survives and goes back to change her life from that choice she made in her youth. 

The Writer's Library by Nancy Pearl and Jeff Schwager (library) interviews with authors about the books that they love. I really enjoyed it and I now have a HUGE list of books to read! LOL

The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis (library)  I really enjoyed it. The mini series stays very true to the book. About a chess prodigy who happens to be a girl. 

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbary (library)  Reminded me a lot of a Man Called Ove.   Same kind of thing, someone decides to commit suicide, but then is thwarted by life happening around them. 

The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham (audiobook) (library) 2 women are pregnant and one has a secret. And actually both are living lives that are a sham. 

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni (library)  A woman becomes a cop after her sister is abducted and missing for years. As the book begins, they find the body and the case is fresh again. I enjoyed the PNW locale. 

Butterfield 8 by John O'Hara (library) The book that the movie is based on, I liked it and I want to read more John O'Hara

Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle (library) I really enjoy this author and I read everything she writes. After surviving a plane incident a woman leaves her family and goes off to reconnect with the life she left behind during college. It is about the choices we make and what would we do if we could go back and get back on that track to another life? 

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach The last one

If you have enjoyed my postcards of Wrightsville Beach and would like to learn more about the history of this beach town, some good resources are the books “Land of the Golden River” by Lewis Philip Hall, “Cape Fear Beaches” by Susan Taylor Block and “Tide and Time: A History of Wrightsville Beach” by Virginia Whiting Kuhn. The Wrightsville Beach Museum is at 303 West Salisbury St., housed in an old beach cottage. It is a great place to visit.

Christmas Ornaments 2020

 Some ornaments that I collected this past year

A Nancy Drew themed star that I created myself

A gorgeous mountain on a spool

big foot in copper

                                                            Felted wool ornament

Airplane in tin

wine ornament

                                                                     oysters ornament

ornament from Ryan's mom's new home

                                                                Cork Angel ornament

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach: Intra Coastal Waterway

 At first I was going to just lump this card together with another for the Intracoastal Waterway, but the message on the back of the card was so interesting, that I felt it deserved it's own post! Postmarked from Wrightsville Beach December 1965, so this was a Christmas card to someone in Omaha, Nebraska! And the sender notes that they were staying at the Blockade Runner --which at the time, was barely a year old, so very modern and brand new!! The sender says that they had Christmas Dinner in the new dining room overlooking the ocean.

The sender also says that "the ocean has been like a lake" and having lived there, we used to call it "Lake Atlantic"

So this was a fun postcard to have in my collection.

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach Churches

I could have sworn that I had postcards of Mount Lebanon Chapel (Episcopal) and Little Chapel on the Boardwalk (Presbyterian) but I cannot find them. So St. Teresa's is what I have to show you.

Mount Lebanon is regarded to be the oldest known surviving church structure in New Hanover County, it was built in 1835.  I was raised Presbyterian, so I did attend some services at Little Chapel on the Boardwalk over the years.

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach Holiday Inn

The Holiday Inn deserves it's own post because my sister worked there! She has many colorful customer service stories from her time there, but I will only share one "insider hotel clerk" story. 

They had a room that had a Murphy Bed and it was always the last room they would ever sell, so it was sort of an employee lounge when they were on break, they would go there and watch tv or just relax. If they were needed, it was always known to call that room to find them.

November 2020 Books I read

Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby (library) Fun essays. I laughed a lot while reading this book.

Too Much and Never Enough by Mary Trump (library) growing up in the rich, dysfunctional family of Trump. I read this before the election results

The Lady in the Van and other stories by Alan Bennett (library) there are two additional stories in the book besides the Lady in the Van story. And they are all good. 

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (library) memoir about growing up in a poor, dysfunctional "hill-billy" family in Kentucky and Rust-Belt Ohio. It was okay, what intrigued me more was the backlash and an entire book that was written in response to this book. 

Appalachian ReckoningAppalachian Reckoning, Book: A Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy (library) Folks from Appalachia write essays and poems and share their own stories about growing up poor and fighting against the "hill-billy" stereotype perpetuated by the J. D. Vance book. 

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson (library) Lots of twists in this thriller. Right up until the very last page. Of course if you read these all the time, you see some of them coming. But I was entertained for sure

Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin (library) I thought I had read this years ago, but it felt fresh to me. I had checked this out of the library for Halloween reading, but just now getting around to it. 

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid (library) This is a movie on Netflix -- very creepy vibe and there are twists

Late Show by Michael Connelly (library) (audiobook) I actually have enjoyed Michael Connelly more by listening to his work than actually reading it myself. Odd. But when I try to read his books, I just don't get hooked into them as much. I guess because listening to them is more passive. I don't have to work as hard and I just absorb it. 

The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen (library) I was curious about how to grow more vegetables and stuff on my deck and this book came across with lots of other ideas on how to conserve and be more self sufficient in an urban setting. Humorous too. 

For Nobody's Eyes Only by Nick Redfern (library) Great Conspiracy Theory reading! So suspicious that all those Roswell documents conveniently disappear.  

Day After Night by Anita Diamant (library) the book was okay, what I found more interesting was how she came to write this book. She found a photo of some girls and she created the story around that photo inspiration. 

Cooked by Michael Pollan (library) very enjoyable book about the transformation of food. I enjoyed the descriptions of cutting onions and making sauerkraut.  

Midnight Water by Geoffrey Norman  very much like a Travis McGee novel

The Girl With a Clock for a Heart by Peter Swanson (library) another twisty thriller from Swanson. Not his best, but still a fun read.

Grace by Natashia Deon (library) about a Slave during the late 1800's

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach: Ocean Terrace Hotel Aerial views

Originally, this was the Seashore Hotel....destroyed by fire in 1921 and rebuilt and renamed in 1935 as the Ocean Terrace Hotel. It then burned down in 1955 and the hotel rebuilt on that site was the Blockade Runner Hotel, which is still there today!

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach Cottages

Folks visiting Wrightsville Beach did not always stay at fancy hotels. Beach cottages and apartments were always available for rent. Here are two postcards representing these types of accommodations.  My Dad even owned a house here as a rental property for a few years. It was not very successful for him. Once when tenants left town without paying, we were able to go in and confiscate the things they left behind. That was how I got my first stereo. I remember that when we were allowed to go into the house, the police thought there was a dead body in there. The tenants had left a crockpot of food out and it smelled so bad! 

 
The Pomander Walk apartments and the Surf Inn

A reminder to folks who are fans of my postcard posts. Coming in 2021, I will be highlighting the cards that you guys send to me. So send me a postcard! And you will see it on the blog in 2021.  Amanda Arkebauer PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach: More Banks Channel

Arcadia Publishing reproduction 1919

Aerial View of Banks Channel 1980's

1974 postmark Banks Channel

Banks Channel 1970's

The first postcard is a reproduction of a photograph by Arcadia Publishing, from about 1919.
The second postcard is more modern from the 1980's and shows an aerial view of Banks channel.

The third postcard is postmarked 1974 and is a night time scene on Banks Channel. The last postcard is also from the 1970's  Because the waters in Banks Channel were more protected than the ocean waters. It was usually nice and calm. This area was usually where we learned to sail or paddle board. 

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach Wits End

This postcard is from the Wits End bar --It was a popular beach bar from the 1950's and beyond

A reminder to folks who are fans of my postcard posts. Coming in 2021, I will be highlighting the cards that you guys send to me. I currently only have enough for about 30 posts, I need 52 to do a post once a week.  So send me a postcard! And you will see it on the blog in 2021.  Amanda Arkebauer PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach Seapath

We lived for a while at a townhouse at Seapath. My Dad's boat can be seen in this postcard on the first dock. I worked one summer cleaning boats that were chartered....I got to keep whatever I found on the boats after they came back from charter. This was Pirate Booty to a teenager! Half used bottles of sunscreen, a floppy beach hat or even better, the stray can of beer or the dregs in a bottle of rum would all be taken as spoils!! LOL

October 2020 Books I read

American Serengeti by Dan Flores (library) basically a look at the Great Plains of North America and the animals that used to be there to today. 

A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin (library) His first book and a really good mystery thriller

All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson (library) great thriller, I am working my way through all his books right now

Dead Wake by Eric Larson (audiobook) The story of the Lusitania, very good and I learned a lot.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell (library) creepy, very Lolita-esque told from the point of view of the girl. 

Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish Growing up on an Iowa farm during the Great Depression. Wonderful stories

Flyover Lives by Diane Johnson memoir about growing up in Illinois and "escaping" to travel the world but coming to terms with her mid-western roots. 

The Water's Lovely by Ruth Rendell psychological murder mystery. I always enjoy Ruth Rendell. 

Deep End by Geoffrey Norman The last of the Morgan Hunt mysteries. I did enjoy these Florida books by Norman

Murder on the Air by Ric Meyers A look at TV detectives from Martin Kane, Private Eye to Magnum, PI  Lots of behind the scenes info about some of my favorite TV series from Ellery Queen to Columbo to Murder She Wrote. If you are a TV detective fan, this is a fun book.  He has another one called TV Detectives that I am on the hunt for now too. 

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane by Laird Koenig How many remember the movie with Jodie Foster? Nice and creepy for Halloween. And you know the book is always best. 

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (library) almost like a fairy tale, set in the Alaskan outback during winter. I really liked it's otherworldly atmosphere

One Across, Two Down by Ruth Rendell (library) classic Ruth Rendell always enjoyable mystery

Firefly Cloak by Sheri Reynolds  dysfunctional family drama dealing with death and abandonment. 

Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith (library) rereading again after many years. So good

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (library) a bit disjointed and confusing. I would just rate it a so/so

The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair (library) I think I am going to have to buy this book. It really is one of my favorites that I have read this year. It tells the story of colors from optics and light to artist palettes and pigments. 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (library) maybe because of the title, but I went into this expecting the over the top drama that you see on Mexican soaps and that is what I got from it. It was good, very soapy in my opinion

Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking by Erica C. Bartnett (library) memoir of an alcoholic who quits then relapses, quits again and relapses again etc etc. How the AA, 28 days detox strategy does not work for everyone. Every addict is different. 

Coma by Robin Cook (library) recently watched the movie, so rereading a classic! 

Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson (library) The entire time I was reading this, I felt like I had read it before. It has some similarities with other thrillers I have read for sure. 

The Searcher by Tana French (library) I really enjoyed it.  An ex Chicago cop retires to a quiet Irish village and gets involved in a Missing Persons case.  Lots of really quaint Irish atmosphere. Makes me want to go retire there. 

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach Vintage

I really like these old images of the beach ---Fisherman and Seagrass

A reminder to folks who are fans of my postcard posts. Coming in 2021, I will be highlighting the cards that you guys send to me. So send me a postcard! And you will see it on the blog in 2021.  Amanda Arkebauer PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116

Postcards 2020 Wrightsville Beach: Newell's

Newell's was a variety store built in 1946. Wings currently occupies the old Newell's location. When we lived at the beach in 1970, we would walk to Newell's after dinner and get an ice cream. 

A reminder to folks who are fans of my postcard posts. Coming in 2021, I will be highlighting the cards that you guys send to me. I need at least 52, because I post once a week.  So send me a postcard! And you will see it on the blog in 2021.  Amanda Arkebauer PO Box 16131 Seattle, WA  98116